Tactical Meetings
by The Sage of Spirits
Summary: Aedan has one simple rule as a tactician: every new person to join up with the Shepherds must have an introductory meeting with him. He never expected future children to be on that list.


Aedan watched and smiled as Lon'qu enter his tent. "Greetings, Lon'qu. To what do I owe the pleasure?"

Lon'qu sat down on the chair in front of Aedan's desk, pulling some papers from his bag. "I scouted the area after we set up camp."

Aedan grabbed the small stack from Lon'qu's hands, skimming through them. "Thanks, Lon'qu. Anything of particular note?" he asked, picking up his glass of water.

Lon'qu closed his eyes and coughed into his shoulder. "Yes. I ran into Lissa out there." He heard Aedan make a disgruntled noise and opened one eye. To his shock, Aedan began coughing. "You all right?"

Aedan weakly nodded his head, holding up his left hand as his coughing simmered. "Y-Yes, just give me a moment." he said with a rasp, coughing a few times more. He coughed one last time, clearing his throat. "Sorry, you caught me drinking when I thought I heard you say that my wife was out doing recon."

"Because that's what I said." Lon'qu ran his hands through his hair. "I spotted Lissa as I got close to a potential enemy encampment. Found her not far from me. Luckily, they were merely hunters packing up their supplies. They moved on."

Aedan ran his hands down his face, proceeding to rub his forehead. He groaned. "I thought Chrom told her not to do that anymore..." He said with a sigh, placing his left hand over half his face. He perked up, blushing a bit. "Sorry, didn't mean to display that in front of you."

Lon'qu chuckled. "No harm. I understand what you mean. It would be problematic if she were captured."

"Yeah. I don't know what I would do if something happened to her." he said, reaching for a book behind him, placing it onto his desk. "Oh, speaking of which, thank you for taking care of that assassination attempt on Lissa. I would have taken care of it myself, but both Chrom and Lissa insisted otherwise." He grabbed the pitcher of water from the nearby table, refilling his glass. "Water?"

Lon'qu nodded his head and smiled, folding his arms across his chest. "No problem. With everything you do, you would have collapsed with exhaustion at some point. That would have served no one." He grabbed the glass and took a drink. "Besides, you've done your fair share when able. I don't know how either of you managed to avoid your magic traps."

Aedan laughed, setting down Lon'qu's recon notes onto an empty tray. "Oh, we have code words that dispel them, based on what level and type. It was fairly easy to understand once I had the time to study them properly."

Lon'qu shook his head, visibly shaking with a chuckle. "I still haven't decided if you're an utter genius or a complete lunatic." He took a big gulp from his glass, walking over to the pitcher to refill it himself. "It took me a few days to come by your tent again after being flung to the ground for no reason."

"Yeah, sorry about that. Sometimes we'll leave a wind trap up as a prank for the other. I don't think Lissa counted on me sleeping in after a long night." he said, coughing into his sleeve. "Honestly, we'd set up a few traps in each tent at night, but we'd need everyone with magical talent and capacity to do it. Lissa and I got completely exhausted setting up those traps at the time. It helps that we don't do as many, but we'd need help for more than a few tents."

"They would be useful either way. Those traps could deter others away."

"You're right. Lissa, Miriel, and I can work on the preparations. We've just been so busy we haven't had the chance." He heard the tent flap open, expecting to see Lissa returning from the battle. However, an unfamiliar young man in a yellow outfit appeared instead. "Oh, a new face." He turned toward Lon'qu. "Sorry to cut this short. We'll talk more about the traps later."

"No problem. I'll get out of your way." Lon'qu said, heading for the exit. "I'll talk to Miriel for you about it so we can start preparations."

"Ah, fine idea. Thank you, Lon'qu." Aedan returned his attention to the young man. "Come, have a seat." he said, gesturing to the open seat in front of him. The man took a seat, placing his hand in front of his face. "Now then, I take it Chrom sent you my way?" Aedan said as he pulled out the roster from under his desk.

The young man scoffed, closing his eyes. "Nay, 'twas my glorious mother who led me to your footsteps. A clash of time unforeseen by most, but not I! I have awaited this moment since my leap of faith through the gateway to the past-"

Aedan raised an eyebrow, shaking his head. "Wait, what?" he said, interrupting the young man. "Slow down. Do you mean you're from the future?"

The young man sighed, lowering his head. He rested his forehead onto his fist. "Geez, first Mother, now you?" he said, rubbing the back of his head. "Yes, I am one of the few members of Lucina's group from the future. I'm Owain. Specifically, though, I'm your son from the future."

Aedan froze, his eyes popping wide, as he dropped his pencil in mid sentence. He turned his attention from the roster to Owain. "My... what?"

Owain smirked, throwing his hand in front of his face again. "I'm the valiant, future scion of the genius tactician and calming princess!" He heard Aedan cough, and Owain calmed down. "Mother told me that anyone who joined up with the Shepherds had to meet with you for introductions, since you're the tactician. I had wanted to speak to you anyway, since you weren't on the battlefield. So I had Mother guide me to your tent."

Aedan shook his head again, a smile on his face. "So Lissa knew about you?" He watched Owain nod his head. Aedan chuckled. "Leave it to your mother to find a new way to prank me..."

Owain raised an eyebrow. "Well, I'm just glad I don't have to convince you further..."

Aedan nodded his head. "No, looking closer, I can see some semblance of myself and Lissa, now. And Lucina did mention having companions, so you mentioning her by name proved helpful. There are minor things, but, well, you know."

"Hah!" Owain scoffed, tossing his head back slightly. "Leave it to my tactical patriarch to discern the hidden elements of my genealogical history!"

"Er, yes... Ah," Aedan paused, looking to the side, "you don't speak like that all the time, do you?"

"Of course!" Owain said, rising from his seat. He planted his boot onto the desk. "'Tis the nature of my very being, pouring out into the land of tearful despair and yearning freedom!" Owain held his arm up, fist closed, arm bent. He heard Aedan cough once more, looking down at where Aedan pointed on the desk. With a quick blush, Owain removed his boot from the desk. "But, uh, I can speak normally as well, if you like..." Owain winced slightly, frowning. "Mother had already chastised my speech, before we even left the battlefield..."

Aedan sighed, leaning back into his chair. "That's... wonderful. Just don't go overboard with the 'prophetic speech,' please." He shook his head, adding in 'Level up!' in elaborate, fancy text into the roster. "And I take it from your sword that you prefer speed to power, yes?"

"Hah! Your keen eye misses nothing, Father!" Owain gasped lightly, rubbing the back of his head as he began to grin. "...Er, can I call you Father? I wasn't sure how you'd react, but..."

Aedan laughed, closing the roster. "It'll take some getting used to, but no, I don't mind. But now our meeting is basically done."

Owain shook his head in disbelief. "Already? But that was hardly a meeting, Father."

"I'm well aware of that. However, I like to keep things brief, since some might want to eat or rest after battle, so I don't want to keep them long." Owain looked around, spotting the pitcher of water. He stood, walking over to grab a glass. "Either way, you won't be able to participate in battle just yet, to give you time to adjust to life in the camp and rest up, so you're free to explore."

Owain quickly sipped from his glass, nodding his head. He returned to his seat. "I know Lucina is around, but has anyone else come by from the future?"

Aedan shook his head, eyes closed. "After Lucina, you're the first to appear."

"By the ghost of Ike!" Owain shouted, slamming his hands onto the desk. Aedan jumped in surprised, grabbing his cup in fear of spillage. "I figured some of the others would have appeared before me, like Brady, or Yarne, or even Morgan... She has your drive and wit, after all."

Aedan gaped. "My... what?"

Owain rubbed his forehead. "Since we're done with our meeting, Father, we should probably chat for a bit, if you've the time. There's a lot I want to speak to you about."

"I'm still free for the day, actually, so I'd like that." Aedan said, leaning on his desk. He placed his chin on the palms of his hands. "So what's this about a Morgan, now?"

"Well for starters, she's my younger sister..."

* * *

Some quick notes to dish out: This is a planned 12 chapter fic with children meetings only; no it's not finished, but after realizing how _frequently_ I find myself writing, I figured "Why not"; I'm going in Paralogue order; no, I don't need "pairing ideas" for I have my own. I believe that covers everything.


End file.
